Head vs Heart
by eerocks12
Summary: Flora has never been convinced that Bloom is a true friend. She eventually reaches a decision where she has to choose between her doubtful friendship with Bloom, and a blossoming love with an unlikely Redfountain boy. Who will she hold loyal to?
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Green eyes gazed up into beautiful brown ones; Flora always had trouble keeping her head clear whenever she looked into his eyes for too long.

"Umm, I'm not sure….." she started, but was cut off by the sound of his voice.

"It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks" He said defiantly. "All that matters is that you're happy; whether or not it's with me is up to you."

Her eyes drifted to the floor, uncertain of what the right thing to do was. Bloom was her friend, but she never acted like it.

Should she follow through with her unbalanced friendship, or follow her heart?

This question kept bouncing through her head.

_Flora you Idiot! _Exclaimed one half of her head, _this is love! Are you really going to let it go?_

Flora thought about this. It actually was the first time she had been in love; she hadn't ever felt this way before, not even with Helia.

_**But Bloom is my friend**_Shouted the other half of her brain; _**boys come and go but friendship is forever! **_

_Is it really forever with Bloom? It seems she's only been my friend for her benefit. If I really needed her, would she be there for me?_

_**Bloom has been my roommate for three years! I've known her since freshman year!**_

_But I've known him just as long. I didn't understand him as well then, but I can see how much he's changed, and who he's become. I really think that we could be happy together._

_**And how long do I plan to be with him?**_

Back and forth she argued with herself, only making her decision more difficult and confusing.

All the while, he waited patiently for her answer; a decision that could have serious consequences either way it turned out.

She looked back into his eyes "Riven……"


	2. Rainy Day

Before all the drama started, it was a simple day at Alfea School for Fairies.

An overcast sky suspended overhead, thunder reverberating through the atmosphere. Rain lazily spurted toward the ground, feeding the abundant plants and wildlife throughout the grounds.

The Winx girls were all hanging out in Bloom and Flora's shared dorm room. Everyone, excluding Flora, looked downcast; their faces matching the sky overhead.

Stella was by far the most upset; being the sun-loving fairy that she was, she absolutely detested rainy days. Flora on the other hand, saw the beauty in the raindrops. She took the perspective view of how the rain was sustaining the wildlife outside her window. She gave silent thanks for the rain- it was the key to nature's survival, and in a degree, the key to her survival.

Bloom had invited the Red Fountain guys over for the day. Considering it was Saturday (and therefore no classes), the girls were stumped as for what to do. Layla had suggested going shopping in Magix, but Stella nearly had a heart-attack at the thought of what the rain would have done to her hair.

So there they sat, simply talking, laughing and having a good time. This was the day when all the drama started.

Bloom (who was sitting in Sky's lap) laughed at something Techna said, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Sky smiled slightly, but his eyes seemed detached; almost as if his body was in the room with them, but his mind was floating through the dimensions.

Bloom pouted "Babe," she started "you've been sooo distracted lately. What's up?"

"Hmmm?" Sky replied.

She huffed at being ignored "What's the matter with you? You barely said anything to me all week, and you've said absolutely nothing today. What gives!?"

"I've just been thinking about some stuff" he answered vaguely.

Bloom glared daggers at him, "what kind of stuff?" she asked, her voice less than kind.

Sky finally looked her in the eye. "I've just been thinking about what my parents said last week. They want me to come and start training to take over the crown, that way when it's time for me to actually rule the kingdom, I'll know what to do."

"Oh, is that it?" She exclaimed. "Well that's great! I'll come with you!"

Sky shook his head "The thing is that they don't want any….distractions…to keep me from focusing on my work." It was obvious that he had chosen his words with great care.

Bloom looked both angry and hurt. "Well you could have just told me you didn't want me around last week then!" she screeched at him, and dashed from the room. Sky got up and ran after her.

Flora cuddled closer into Helia's chest, grateful that she wasn't having any relationship problems at the moment. Actually, now that she thought about it, Musa and Riven were having some problems too, but they kept their dilemmas more low-key than Bloom and Sky. She hoped that both couples would be able to work through their troubles.


	3. Breakups

Monday morning, Flora walked through the Alfea courtyard to her first class of the day. She was in an upbeat mood; the sun was shining and the wind was blowing through her hair; the day was looking up.

While she walked, she heard her familiar ring tone, and immediately pressed the green answer key on her cell phone. "Hey Flora" said Helia's voice.

"Oh, hey" she said, her breath catching in her throat.

"Do you think you can meet me after school today in the forest?" he asked her without pause.

"What? Oh, yeah sure!"

"All right; I'll see you then." He hung up, and Flora walked to class in an even better mood than before, a smile lighting up her face. She ignored the tiny, insignificant voice at the back of her head which had noticed a strange tone in his voice. It had seemed almost….guilty; but that couldn't have been right.

In Flora's opinion, her classes could not pass by fast enough. At the end of each period, she was on the edge of her seat, poised to sprint out the room the moment she heard the bell ring. After school _finally _let out, she practically ran to their spot in the woods. She stood on her tippy-toes, straining her neck to find Helia through the green wonderland.

After five minutes or so, she heard a crunching of twigs and turned to find Helia's willowy form walking slowly toward her.

"Hey" she breathed.

"Hello" he stated formally; _too_ formally.

"What's up" she questioned him, searching his face for a foreshadowing of what was to come. He stared at her, his face serious and impending.

"Please forgive me for what I'm about to do. Please promise you won't hate me?" He asked her, a pleading and guilty presence taking over his face.

"Of course" she answered mechanically, already tense and cautious.

"Flora" he started "I can't see you anymore. There's not really a good explanation why; I just don't feel the same about you anymore." He faltered a little, but then continued. "When we started dating, there was a different energy between us that has been slowly dying as time has moved on. That energy was full of passion, and excitement; I've only just realized it's gone."

Flora stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock and hurt.

_**Be strong Flora. Hold back those tears; don't let him see how much pain he's caused**_

She struggled a moment with this task, imaging a coke bottle in her chest and shoving all her pain and emotions inside of it, and sealing it up tight.

"Oh" was all she managed to utter.

"I'm so sorry" he said genuinely, pain also filling his eyes "please realize that it's nothing you did at all. It's just something that neither of has paid much attention to. It would be wrong to continue our relationship when I no longer feel that way anymore."

'When I no longer feel that way anymore' was what did it. Flora interpreted it as 'when I no longer care for you anymore'. Either way, Flora felt as if someone had punched her heart.

"O-o-okay" she stuttered, looking at the ground. "I have to go" she mumbled at the ground, and ran from the forest to her dorm, not daring to look behind her. She rushed into the room and burst into tears immediately; she leaned on the door, and sunk to the floor.

She felt two pairs of arms hugging her almost at once; she looked up to find Musa and Bloom around her, no words said, but complete understanding surrounding them. They communicated silently through their actions. All Flora could see were an orange and dark blue blob, caused from the swelling of tears in her eyes. She hugged them back, and cried herself out.

When Flora finally looked up, she was surprised to find tear streaks on both Bloom and Musa's faces. She gave them a questioning glance, and Musa explained. "I finally got signed-with Magix Music Co., and they want to set up a tour with me. I couldn't say no, because this is my big break!" her face lit up when she said this. "But it means I'm not going to see you guys for a year." That was when her face fell.

Fresh tears brewed in Flora's eyes, but she couldn't help feeling happy for her friend. "That's great Musa" she said, with a slightly hoarse voice, and a sad undertone. "You've been waiting to get your big break for a long time. Go and knock their socks off!"

She sniffled sadly, but honesty rung in her words; Musa smiled sadly back at her.

"There's something else you should know." said Bloom. Flora looked at her, understanding that there was more than one reason for her tears. "Well, Sky and I…….have decided to…take a break. It's only while he's studying with his parents, but who knows how long that will be? So I guess for now, you could consider us broken up."

She could tell Bloom was bottling up an avalanche of tears, so she didn't say anything else.

A thought occurred to Flora; she turned to Musa. "What does that mean for you and Riven?" she asked. Musa's chin quivered, "we decided it was best if we didn't see each other anymore. I asked him to come on tour with me, but he was too settled into Red Fountain, at least that's what he said…"

Flora was utterly miserable: her boyfriend had dumped her, her friend had gone through a breakup as well, and one of her closest friends was leaving for a year on tour, along with breaking up with _her _boyfriend too.

The three girls just sat their hugging each other and wallowing in their misery for a long time. Flora couldn't remember when, but at some point Layla, Techna, and Stella had come in and joined in to. They were all moping-mainly because of Musa's impending departure.

_**Life stinks**_ thought Flora to herself.

The other part of her head retorted: _and when life stinks, you cry yourself to sleep, and then pick yourself up and keep going--no matter how hard it is sometimes. The best part about life is that you're not unhappy forever._

Flora remembered this as she cried herself to sleep.


	4. Time to go out

That week, Flora moped.

Sky had left the moment he and Bloom broke up, while Musa had left on Wednesday. The girls had thrown a going away party in her honor, and she graced them with a song that she would be performing on stage in the coming year. Flora always got goose bumps whenever she heard Musa's voice; it was so pure and full of emotion.

Afterwards, they hugged for a very long time until Musa was forced to board the last bus for Magix, where she would meet up with her agent and begin the tour. Musa sat waving from the backseat as she drove out of their lives.

Helia and Flora hadn't spoken since their breakup.

On Friday afternoon, Stella walked up to Flora in the quad.

"So what are you wearing tonight?" she asked.

"What?" questioned a befuddled Flora.

"To the café—don't worry, I didn't invite Helia" she said quickly.

"What are you talking about?" Flora was wondering what was going on.

"Don't you remember our plans tonight? We're meeting the guys at Café Petite in downtown Magix. I thought Bloom told you…."

Flora looked dazed; no one had told her any plans for tonight. She didn't particularly want to go out, but thought it would be worse if she sat here moping.

"She probably just forgot; after all, she's had a lot on her mind lately" said Flora, defending her friend.

"Yeah, that must have been it. Anyways, do you need any help choosing what to wear?" Questioned Stella, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

_I should let her have her fun _thought Flora to herself.

"Yes, actually" she replied "I have no idea what to wear, since this is so last minute. Will you pick out something for me?"

"Oh course I will!" she exclaimed, and half dragged Flora to her closet, where she attacked the clothes like a maniac—throwing clothes behind her faster than a sales clerk, trying to decide what would complement Flora the best.

She eventually decided on a pair of dark-wash jeans, and a silky black tank top which ended right at Flora's bellybutton. She had also picked out a pair of strappy, silver heels, (Stella had originally wanted Flora to wear some 4 inch stilettos, but when Flora refused, she picked out something with a slightly shorter heel [aka 2 whole inches). Once she was fully dressed, Stella looked at her work.

"You look gorgeous!" Stella exclaimed at her "this is one of my better works, definitely."

Flora gazed shyly at herself in the mirror; she had to admit, Stella had a real talent for making even the plainest girl look like a superstar. She must have said this out loud, because the next second Stella was telling her "Flora, you are as far from plain as someone can get! You look good without even trying, and let me tell you, that is a real talent!" Flora was about to protest, but Stella cut her off "All you need is a little confidence; if you have that then you'll be the next big socialite!"

Flora decided it was pointless to argue with her. Stella started to say something, when they both heard the door open. Flora heard Bloom's voice say "Hey guys. How do I look?"

She glanced up, and her mouth nearly hit the ground—Bloom was dressed in the most revealing outfit she had ever seen. She was wearing a blood red, what seemed like a strapless bikini top; along with this she was wearing a denim skirt that must have literally been 3 inches long.

Her eyes were dark with a little too much eyeliner, and she had sparkly eye shadow that reflected the dim light from inside the room. Stella looked her over, and eventually stated her consensus. "You look hot, Bloom; although a bit trampy—here, put on this jacket, it will add a sophisticated class to you outfit." Bloom put on the jacket without a word, then said "hey, can I wear those stilettos over there?"

These were the same stilettos that Flora had deemed to high to wear herself. "Sure" said Stella, handing them to her. Now it was Stella's turn.

Bloom and Flora waited for Stella to get ready—she eventually came out wearing a green tube-top with a denim jacket over it, and some light-wash jeans. Flora admired Stella's style, wishing she had the same eye for fashion as her. They met up with Techna who also looked sleek and cool (Layla wasn't coming because she had gotten sick earlier this week—nothing serious, just a cold with a fever, and was in the hospital wing at the moment).

Together, they headed to Café Petite in Magix.


	5. Café Petite

The group sat around a large table at Café Petite; the waitress had already taken their orders.

Flora felt awkward, mainly because of the couples sitting across from her; it saddened her to see Stella and Brandon cuddling, while Techna and Timmy were holding hands. It reminded her of all the times she'd done those same things with Helia….

The three people that weren't apart of a couple included Bloom, Flora, and Riven.

_Why did Stella invite Riven?_Flora wondered to herself.

_**Maybe she just felt bad for him because now he doesn't really have anyone to hang out with, and wanted to include him. **_Offered the other half of her head; it actually was a good possibility.

Riven sat between Flora and Bloom, all three feeling uncomfortable with the couples surrounding them. Flora noticed that Riven seemed the most awkward looking, but there was something else in his eyes that she couldn't quite identify.

Flora had also noticed that Bloom seemed to be paying a lot of attention to Riven. She had already taken off the jacket Stella had lent her, and kept adjusting her shirt (if you could even call it a shirt). She was also constantly peeking up at him. Flora simply assumed that this was Blooms way of dealing with a breakup: by checking out or flirting with other guys for a little while, and then finally learning to cope with it in the end.

Besides, Flora knew that Bloom would never make a move on Riven; the biggest factor of which was because Musa was her friend, and Riven was Musa's ex. Although she couldn't blame Bloom, he did look really good tonight….

Bloom suddenly got up to use the bathroom, purposefully thrusting her chest in Riven's direction as she stood up. When Riven paid no attention to her, she looked rather insulted, and huffed off the ladies room. Stella, Brandon, Techna, and Timmy became absorbed in their own conversations, while Riven and Flora just sat there, staring into space.

Which was why when someone started speaking to her, she didn't hear them at first.

"Did you really want to come here tonight?" Asked a voice beside her a second time. Flora turned to find Riven looking at her, the source of the voice. She didn't know how to answer to that, so just continued to stare at him.

"Don't get me wrong" he said "it's just that you look half as miserable as I do to be here."

"I only came because I didn't want to sit in my dorm room, moping all night." She replied to him.

Riven just muttered, and seemed to be more upset than before; almost angry somehow.

Flora continued "I mean with Musa gone, I feel so alone; if she were here though, she wouldn't want me to be sad because she left. She would want be to be living my life, regardless of if she was in it or not."

Riven sat there, not moving a muscle.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her." Flora sat straight in her chair, staring directly in front of her.

"No, it's not that" Riven continued "I'm just surprised that that's the reason why you seem so upset."

Flora's throat constricted; she realized that he thought she'd been troubled for the _other _reason. She spoke quietly "I understand why he did it—and I'm not angry with him for it. The only reason I'm upset now is because Musa is gone." Only the last statement was a lie; Helia was a big factor as to why she was sad.

"You're really not angry at him for it?" Riven continued, surprised again. Flora shook her head.

"I understand why he did it, and if he doesn't feel the same about me anymore, then I don't want to make him unhappy by staying with me."

Riven looked shocked and angry, and was about to say more when Bloom arrived back from the bathroom. "Hey guys, what'd I miss?" She asked the table, but while batting her eyes at Riven as she sat back down.

"Oh, nothing much" piped Techna, going into a lengthy conversation involving a complex, solar-powered computer. Bloom hadn't expected this much information, but pretended to understand what Techna was saying anyway.

Flora sipped her ice-water, catching Riven glancing her way, and then turning his head to start arguing with Brandon.

_Why is he starting to pay any attention to me? _

Flora pondered this question for a while, but came up with no suitable answer.

When it was time to leave, they all stepped outside into the night; Flora shivered as the cool air scratched her skin. As the girls walked home, Flora kept silent as Bloom, Stella, and Techna discussed the night's events with much enthusiasm. Flora even thought she heard Bloom mention Riven's name, but couldn't be sure.

When they finally reached Alfea, Flora stumbled through the darkness until she eventually found her bed. She cuddled under the covers and as she fell toward unconsciousness, she groggily pondered the question she had been thinking earlier.

_Why is he starting to pay any attention to me?_


	6. Sunrise

When Flora awoke, it was still dark; she checked the clock and it read 5:04 am. She stood up and started getting dressed. Back home, if she ever woke up before the sun, she would take an early-morning hike and watch the sun float into the sky.

She hadn't tried this in a while, and decided to do it once more. Flora put on a pair of old, but comfortable jeans, and a forest green t-shirt. She threw on her hiking boots, and left a note for Bloom in case she woke up and wondered where Flora was.

And off she went, simply walking through the forest surrounding Alfea. The general direction she was heading was Red Fountain, but she wasn't planning to wander that far. She did go farther than anticipated though, never halting as she traveled deeper and deeper. Eventually Flora reached the edge of a small lake, and sat down on a log right on the bank.

She ripped of her boots and dipped her toes, hesitantly at first, into the cool water. The liquid massaged her skin, and she sighed deeply, now perfectly relaxed. Light was beginning to illuminate the sky, and Flora waited patiently for sunrise. The tip of Red Fountain was visible in her view, closer than she had expected.

The sky was just starting to turn a slight orange-ish color when Flora heard footsteps behind her. She turned to find Riven walking towards her, staring back, obviously surprised that she was there.

"What are you doing here?" he asked while glancing suspiciously at her.

"I….uh…..I—"

"Well?" he cut her off.

"Well I uh….. I just woke up too early and felt like taking a walk. I didn't purposefully come here; I just sort of wandered around and stopped here…."

He shrugged and sat on the opposite side of the log, staring at the sunrise as well.

"Well?" she questioned him.

"Well what?" he snapped.

"Why are you here?" she continued.

"This is where I always come when I need to think. It's my spot." He stated, as if that should have been obvious.

"Oh" she replied "I'm sorry. I won't come here again."

He sighed, frustrated with himself "No, it's not that….it's just tha…." he was having a lot of trouble choosing his words, so Flora gave him some time to think. She gazed up at the horizon, amazed at how beautiful the sky looked when the sun greeted it in the early hours of the morning.

"I was just surprised that you were here, that's all. I didn't think anyone else but me knew about this spot." He eventually managed to get out.

"If it helps, I didn't' know about it before this morning. I just sort of stumbled upon it." She comforted.

He grumbled in reply.

They sat there, admiring the sunrise for a while before either one of them spoke again.

"I was thinking about what you said last night" he said without looking at her. She showed him a confused glance, and he explained. "About not being mad at Helia for what he did."

Flora anticipated her heart to wail in pain, but hearing his name didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Mind you, there was still a dull ache. However, she realized that the abrasion in her heart was finally starting to heal.

"Well if he doesn't have feelings for me anymore, then it's not right for him to lead me on." She said.

Riven stared at her perplexed "is that what you think?!" he exclaimed. Flora nodded her head. "That lying—" he started to say, but Flora gave him a stern look, and Riven corrected what he was about to say "—jerk" he continued, obviously upset he couldn't use a stronger adjective.

"Is that what he said to you?"

Flora nodded, wary about what was coming next.

"Helia lied to you" Riven continued. "The reason why he ended it was because he met someone else."

That sentence caused a stronger pain than before, and Flora guiltily realized she was feeling the emotion of jealousy. She wasn't angry—just hurt; hurt that he broke up with her, even more so for lying to her about it, and jealous of the girl with whom he now cared for.

"But he sounded so sincere that day—" Riven cut her off "that guy has always been a good liar; it's the reason why you believed him."

Flora stared at the ground, waiting for the tears to come; they didn't, but instead she felt a variety of painful emotions: jealousy, betrayal, guilt for feeling jealous, sadness, and emptiness. She also felt confused, trying to figure out which of these emotions she felt the most strongly.

A strange thing happened that morning.

As Flora wallowed in her sadness, she felt a pair of strong arms envelop her in a hug. Nothing sappy or romantic, just a hug; Riven's way of telling her everything would be all right. "I'm sorry" he muttered.

_**Is this the same Riven I've known since freshman year? **_Thought Flora.

_He's changed a lot—matured a great dea,l _she realized.

**I never thought Riven could be this way**

_People change _was all that the other half of her mind stated.

That was true, and as Flora realized this, she began to see Riven in a different light.

_Who knows? Maybe we could even be friends._

Riven suddenly left without a word, giving her one last look before heading off into the wood. He left Flora some time to sink into her own thoughts, more confused than before.


	7. Realization

**Thanks to everyone that's left reviews! I don't know how everyone feels about the Riven/Flora couple, but I just wanted to write something different than what I usually read on fanfiction about Winx Club pairs. Forgive me if there is any spacing or text problems, it's my 1****st**** fanfic, and I'm getting used to the formatting style. Anyways, in the meantime, enjoy the story! I'm hoping to create some interesting, dramatic plot twists in chapters to come……**

**Thanks a ton!!!**

**eerocks12**

BTW:

_This type of fontone half of Flora's head (the more romantic and optimistic side)_

_**This type of fontthe other half of Flora's head (the more realistic, pessimistic side)**_

Things were now different between Riven and Flora; they weren't automatically friends, but it was a start.

Riven's buddies were all really busy: Sky off with his princely duties, Helia (though Flora wasn't sure if he was still Riven's friend) was busy with his _new _girlfriend and the rest of his friends were occupied with their specialist duties.

Flora's friends were all busy as well: Bloom was out nearly every night, getting the numbers of so many guys that her grades started to slip. When Flora started getting worried, Bloom justified herself ("It's just my way of getting over Skye. Don't worry about it; really, Flora, I'm fine") and that was the end of that. Techna was busy working on her project for the science fair ("I'm sure to win first prize with my lemon-powered computer….here, let me show you how it works…") and Layla had discovered a new water sport that she just couldn't get enough of ("…and it's soo cool. It's like a combination of basketball and tennis except that you're under water…."). While Stella was so busy with Brandon that Flora hardly ever saw her anymore.

All these factors, however, contributed to Flora getting closer to Riven. Every few afternoons or so, they would get together and just chat. Riven still wouldn't open up to her, but she felt that she was beginning to understand him just a little bit better. She told him about what it was like growing up on the planet of Linphea, and he told her how obnoxious it was to have Brandon as a roommate. He never mentioned his childhood.

They had weekly appointments as well; meeting every Sunday morning at "Riven's" spot. The time was compromised to be at 6:00, that way they could just catch the sunrise gliding into the sky.

Every other day over the course of a month, Flora sent Musa a letter. She replied back consistently, telling Flora of what an amazing time she was having. Musa had even discovered a new crush (his name was Malthus) and was having the time of her life. Flora told her how she was slowly, but surely, getting over Helia. She even told Musa about how she and Riven had become friends, and asked Musa if it would bother her if Flora kept talking to him. Flora was sensitive to others feelings, and if her friend was bothered by Flora spending time with Riven, then she would stop doing so immediately.

Musa replied that it was definitely okay with her; after all, she felt guilty about leaving him with no one but the guys to hang out with. She thought that him having a female friend might do him some good. Maybe it would cause him to become a little more accepting of people, and he would start respecting others.

"Besides, I'm already over him." She explained to Flora one day on the phone. "I'm more focused on Malthus at the moment. I wonder if he'll like my next song; do you want to hear it?" Flora said yes, very happy that her friend was having a blast, and doing what she loved best.

One Sunday morning while she and Riven were talking, Flora realized why she connected with Riven so much. It was because they were both healing: her from her breakup with Helia, and he from his breakup with Musa (after all, she was the one who broke up with him). They had found a common ground; something they understood about the other one. Neither one was fully healed yet; but they traveled toward that destination together.

It comforted Flora when she realized she wasn't alone.

**I don't really like this chapter. I promise some more drama later on. Sorry this one turned out so dull. **


	8. The Lie

When her friends first noticed Flora's friendship with Riven, they were worried. However, after telling them she had already spoken to Musa about it, and that Flora had gotten her consent, they left the issue alone. If Riven called her, wanting to meet at one place or another, they no longer found this unusual.

The single Winx Club member who hadn't discovered Riven and Flora's friendship was Bloom. While the other members lives had gotten consistently less busy, Blooms life had taken the opposite trend. At minimum, she had two dates every day; this was a month and a half after her breakup with Skye. Flora was starting to miss spending time with her friend, and had decided to talk with her that evening.

Prior to this event, however, Flora had decided to spend some time by herself. She went to the park, and strolled along happily. The day was chilly, yet the sun still shined brightly in the sky, smiling down upon the fairy. She grinned back at the sun, and wandered aimlessly along, until she spotted something that startled the smile right from her pretty face.

Helia was sitting down and leaning on a tree not six feet from her. His back was to her, but from this angle she could see a pencil and parchment sitting in his lap. He was sketching a girl; Flora realized that the beautiful girl starring in his drawing must be the other girl he met. His new girl friend; the one he had favored over her.

Flora walked down the path towards him, not wanting to turn back because she had as much right to be here as he did. Still, she paced by quickly, praying that he didn't see her.

But because Fate was in a bad mood today, Helia _did_ see her, and shouted her name.

"Hey, Flora!" he called, getting up to follow.

_**Please go away **_she thought, but didn't say.

"Hey, what have you been up to?" He asked as he caught up to her. The question was innocent enough, but his words erected a feeling in Flora that she rarely ever felt: anger.

"What have I been up to?" she echoed, menace dripping from her voice. "Well, I've been really busy with school lately, Techna won the science fair, and, oh yeah! I found out about your girlfriend the other day, now that you mention it."

His face paled "You found out about….."

"Yeah, I found out about your lie. About how you dumped me for someone else, and not, as you said, because 'I no longer feel that way anymore'" she finished, quoting what he had originally stated as his alibi for a breakup.

"I, uh—"

She cut him off "You could have just told me the truth in the first place." Her anger was replaced by hurt. "It would have hurt more at first, but I would have gotten over it" she continued, her voice cracking. "I was finally getting over you, you know? And then I find out that you lied to me; that you dumped me for another girl and lied about it. You have no idea how much that hurt—" She wanted to say more, but was halted by her own throat closing up. She couldn't see anymore either, for her eyes had succumbed to tears.

She wanted to run; Lord only knows how much she wanted to run. But Flora didn't want to look like even more of an idiot if she tripped while running away. After all, she was practically blind, and wouldn't be able to see an oncoming obstacle. So instead she just stood there, with Helia looking taken aback that he had caused this to happen. He even looked sorry that he had caused her pain.

"Flora, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a broken sob. Flora was standing, clutching her sides and letting out wails. All the emotions trapped in the coke bottle within her chest that had never been released were making their presence known now. Helia stood their awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He tried again.

"Please, Flora. I never meant—" He was cut off again, and Flora thought she heard a thump and an "Ooofff!" She looked up to find Riven standing in front of Helia (who was on the ground), with a deadly look in his eyes. She closed her eyes, not wanting to believe the scene that was occurring in front of her.

"What did you say to her!?" Barked Riven menacingly.

"Nothing, I swear!" She heard Helia reply.

Someone encircled her in a hug, and she sobbed into Riven's shoulder. She felt his neck turn as he shot one last glare in Helia's direction.

Then he was steering her along the path back the way she had come. He never said words of comfort; the hug offered that. All he did was let her stain his shirt with salt water, holding her in his arms as he led her back to Alfea.


	9. A Shaky Promise

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Here's a shout out to **_**PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons**__**Kitcool, 123 music rocks, Sailor Fede, and Armaan. **_**Thank you guys so much! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**



**eerocks12**

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Flora arrived back to her room via the Riven express. He had walked all the way up to her dorm room, and a confused Bloom had let them in. As Flora trudged off to her bed, the tear stains still visible on her face, she could hear Bloom out in the hallway talking to Riven. She was obviously surprised to find that he had escorted Flora home.

A moment later, Bloom glided back into their room and plopped down on Flora's bed.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked the lump under Flora's covers.

Flora shook her head from underneath her sanctuary. She wasn't sure if Bloom could see the movement from under the comforter, but the redhead obviously got her drift because she didn't question her further. Flora had already cried herself out (with the exception of a few straggler drops remaining in her tear ducts), so Bloom needed not fear an emotional outburst. They sat there quietly there for a few moments.

"I haven't seen Riven in a while…" Bloom muttered, more to herself than to Flora. "He was looking pretty good…" she trailed off and said no more.

Flora wasn't listening to Bloom as she said this; instead she was freeing the remaining tears and composing herself for the talk she wanted to have with Bloom. When she declared the tears gone, she threw back the blanket and sat up, Indian style.

"Hey, Bloom, can I talk to you about something?" she asked hesitantly.

"Course, anything" she replied, now curious as to what was on Flora's mind. She was probably hoping that Flora was going to provide a detailed explanation of her morning.

"Well…" Flora didn't know how to begin. "I've been kind of worried about you lately." Bloom made to interrupt her, but Flora put up her hand in a plea to continue. "I know this is your way of getting over Skye, but it's been a month and a half, Bloom. You've been so busy lately that I hardly ever see you any more, and I miss you. Can you promise me you'll ease up on the dating? Just so we can have some more time to be what we are: friends. Please?" she begged.

Bloom was about to speak, then stopped, obviously pondering Flora's request. She seemed to see reason, because the next thing that came out of her mouth was "all right, I'll ease up."

Flora smiled, "thanks Bloom." She said, and gave her friend a hug. After a while, Bloom pulled away, a new curiosity visible on her face.

"So what was Riven doing walking you home? Are you two, like, a thing now?" There was a burning curiosity behind her words. Flora blushed.

"No, he and I are just friends" She stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Did you talk to Musa about—" Bloom asked, but Flora cut her off. "Yes I talked to Musa. She's perfectly fine with it." This seemed to relax Bloom, and after that the two fairies just talked. They chatted the day away, not even paying attention to the silly, little thing called time. Bloom wanted to know all about why Flora had arrived to their dorm in complete hysterics. So Flora re-capped the whole, gruesome story and Bloom gasped in all the right places.

"What a nasty little liar!" she exclaimed afterwards. "I can't believe he did that to you. He's not worth your breath, Flora; just forget about him, and hope he suffers from guilt." Bloom wanted to say more, but was interrupted by a giant yawn coming from Flora. She checked the clock, to find that it was midnight.

"Wow! Have we been talking that long?" she asked herself, surprised.

"I guess we should be getting to bed soon…" she trailed off. Flora nodded her head vigorously, and plopped back down into bed and encircled the covers around her. She cuddled deeper inside, grateful to be warm and cozy.

Bloom got up and prepared for bed. As Flora was dazing off, she heard Bloom's voice out in the corridor. Bloom was purposefully keeping her voice down, not wanting Flora to hear; her voice was softer than a whisper.

"Hey, I know this is out of the blue, especially since it's me, but can you meet me at Red Fountain tomorrow during lunch? I need to talk to you about something." Flora heard Bloom say. Half asleep, Flora frowned; Bloom had promised to ease up on the dating.

"Okay, see ya then." Her cell phone popped shut, and Flora heard Bloom's footsteps as she made her way to her own bed. Flora hoped that Bloom was still planning on keeping the promise she'd made to her.

Slowly, sleep drifted closer and closer to her, until Flora's eyelids felt as heavy as two elephants. At the far reaches of her consciousness, Flora recalled that the following day was Sunday. She needed to get up early in order to make it on time to her weekly conference with Riven at sunrise.

_**Ugh! I'm not going to get any sleep! **_Flora complained internally.

_Yeah, but at least I'll get to see him…_

And then she was asleep, racked with happy dreams.


	10. Infiltration: success

Flora awoke to a bright light in her eyes. It took a few more moments for her mind to wake up along with the rest of her body.

_**What the…? Is it morning already? **_Wondered Flora groggily.

_Oh no! Did I oversleep!? Riven! _Flora yanked her eyelids open and sprung out of bed at the speed of light.

She shot a glance out the window, and found to her relief that it was still dark out. The source of the light was coming from a bronze reading lamp sitting on Blooms desk. On the desk sat an old, thick, dusty book; the title on the spine read '_Powerful Jinxes, Hexes, Spells, and Curses_'. The book was being read by Bloom, who had circles under eyes and whose head was propped upon her arm.

"Hey Sweetie" Flora aimed at her friend "what are you doing up so early?"

"Hmmm?" Bloom mumbled "Oh, ummm…I'm just researching some spells that I need to test out. For a project, you know?"

Flora nodded, and proceeded to get dressed. She had overslept by only 10 minutes, which she found to her relief. However, she still would have to hurry to make it to Riven's spot by sunrise.

"Where are you headed off to?" Bloom questioned as Flora impatiently yanked on her sneakers.

"I'm just taking a hike and then gonna meet Riven to watch the sunrise." She replied.

Bloom looked slightly troubled, and she flipped through a few more pages of the book; she was concentrated on looking something up. Flora blamed this reaction on lack of sleep; after all, she had no idea how long Bloom had been up. Flora gave her friend one last glance as she headed out the door, and started heading into the forest.

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Riven had arrived before her this time, and Flora sat next to him on the log and plunged her feet into the quiet water. She spoke to him first.

"Hey, I'm sorry I kind of freaked out on you yesterday." She said, apologizing.

"What are you apologizing to me for? You didn't do anything wrong. That asshole Helia should be apologizing to you for what he did. Man I wish I could go at him, but he's always got Saladin trailing him around; I could never get him alone…." Riven trailed off, most likely cooking up a plan for luring Helia into a dark alley where Riven would be waiting with a baseball bat.

"Hey, I don't want him to get hurt." She warned. "I'm more hurt than angry at him right now, and I'll get over it soon enough. As long as I don't have to deal with his lies anymore, I'll be fine." She finished, looking up into the sky.

The orb had risen into the sky and rays of light zigzagged through the canopy of trees behind them. It reflected off the water's calm surface, shooting beams of light off into the woods. The sky was stained orange from the birth of the sunrise, while Flora and Riven stared at its beauty. A few moments passed as she admired nature's work.

She suddenly remembered Bloom's hushed conversation on her cell phone from the night before. She was supposed to meet someone at Red Fountain today at lunch.

Flora made a spur-of-the-moment decision: she was going to get to the bottom of all of this. It would mean going to Red Fountain and spying on Bloom, but Flora just couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't in her nature; but if Bloom was going to keep secrets from her (while breaking promises), then Flora was going to find them out the hard way. But how could she sneak into Red Fountain……..

She and Riven talked for another hour; all the while Flora calculated her plan for getting into Red Fountain. He was mainly lolling on about what a pain an upcoming assignment was going to be, so Flora wasn't missing much. When Riven stood up to signal the end of their meeting, Flora blurted out her cover story.

"Hey Riven? I…umm…Can you show me how to get into Red Fountain? You see, I was supposed to meet….ummm…Timmy today. He was going to show me how to work this new computer I got and he forgot to tell me how to get in. So I was wondering….would you mind showing me?" Flora prayed that he had bought her bluff.

Riven looked suspicious at first, but then shrugged and called back to her "follow me."

After traveling through a few miles of forest, they arrived at the base of the huge tower. Riven punched in a complex code into a little box near the intercom. What seemed like elevator doors opened up, and Riven gestured to Flora to step inside. Once the doors shut, they ascended into Red Fountain.

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It was a couple of hours until noon, so Flora had a few hours to kill. Riven had given her the directions to Timmy's dorm, and had left her standing there as he headed off down the hallway to their left.

Instead of going to Timmy's room, Flora went off to the library to waste a few hours until Bloom showed up. As she sat in one of the comfy velvet armchairs, she couldn't help but wonder:

_What is Bloom hiding from me? Why is she breaking her promise? Is there something going on that I don't know about?_


	11. Confused

At last it was noon. Flora put down the book she had been reading and performed a simple location spell. "Show me…Bloom!" she whisper/shouted to her Winx. Almost instantly, an image of her redheaded friend appeared. Bloom was walking along a deserted hallway, which Flora recognized to be in the west tower. She hurried over to where she thought Bloom to be, careful to be quiet as she made her way along. When she heard her friend's voice, she stopped just outside an empty room, and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Thanks for meeting me here" she heard Blooms voice say.

"What do you want?" replied a boy's voice. The voice sounded familiar; maybe it was Skye and they were getting back together?

_**Nah **_she thought _**besides, that doesn't sound like Skye's voice**_

"Well, I was just remembering that day back at the racetrack back in freshman year. You remember, right?"

No one replied, so Flora assumed the dude she was talking to had nodded his head. She had no idea what they were talking about. Racetrack? What racetrack?

"I was remembering the time you told me that you liked girls that are feisty and play hard to get. Well, here I am, as feisty as ever." Flora could tell without looking that Bloom was giving this guy a dangerous, flirty smile.

"I've been playing hard to get for too long; I just can't take it anymore. And plus you've had your girlfriend trailing you around so that I couldn't make my move on you. But now that you two are through, I _can _make my move on you." Before Flora knew what was happening, she heard Bloom chanting something in another language.

_What the….? What is she— Oh no! She's casting a spell on him!? _

From her hiding spot, Flora saw a blue light and then heard the ragged breaths of the Red Fountain boy for a few moments afterwards. She cautiously approached the door and slowly peeked into the room. What she saw was Bloom slowly kissing the Red Fountain boy, who was eagerly kissing her back.

That wasn't what caused Flora to lose her breath and gasp aloud. The couple turned towards the door at her outburst, but she had run before they had caught a glimpse of her. What had caused Flora's heart to hammer painfully in her chest was the fact that it wasn't just any Red Fountain boy Bloom had been locking lips with. It had been Riven.

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Flora roamed the halls of Red Fountain in a state of shock.

_**Why does Bloom have any interest in Riven anyways? **_Flora wondered.

_She's never really paid him much attention. Why now? _Flora pondered this over and over again and couldn't come up with any logical conclusion. She was so deep in thought that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. She was lost, but didn't yet know it.

_And casting a spell on him? She knows we're not supposed to use our Winx on other people unless it's an emergency. It was most likely a love spell. Oh my gosh, I'm so confused. _

As she was dealing with her thoughts, she realized she had approached two people in the hallway. She looked up, and found Helia walking with another girl from the opposite direction she had come. The girl looked to be an Alfea fairy; and not just that, an amazingly pretty Alfea fairy. She had shoulder length, layered dark brown hair. Her skin was very tan and smooth, and her eyes were big and blue.

Flora walked past them hastily, not making eye contact with either of the two. Thankfully, Helia didn't try talking to her like that day in the park; he was probably fearful that she would have another emotional outburst. Which would have been even worse in this case, considering he had his _girlfriend _with him this time. What he didn't realize was that Flora no longer wasted her tears on him. She was officially over that loser. After a possibly catastrophic incident, Flora continued to sink into her thoughts.

_**What am I going to do? It'd be wrong to meddle, but wrong not to meddle. If I reverse the love spell, then Bloom will angry with me and there's no telling what she'd do. If I don't, I let Riven become a mindless puppet to be used by my so called 'best friend'. **_She sighed as she contemplated her dilemma.

_What should I do? _Her mind echoed as she found her way out of Red Fountain, and made her way back to Alfea.


	12. Restricted Section

**Hey everyone, thanks a ton for reading and reviewing my story! Please tell me what you honestly think of the story, that way I can improve my writing. Anyways, thanks to all my loyal reviewers! Here's a shout out to PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons, Chibi Horsewoman, 123 music rocks, Kitcool, Sailor Fede, and Armaan. I hope you guys enjoy the chapters to come. **

**eerocks12**

**P.S. **

_**This type of font it Flora's more dominant realistic side.**_

_This type of font is Flora's more romantic, follow-your-heart side. _

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_That's it! _Flora thought _I can't just let Bloom mess with Riven's freewill! _

This was the decision Flora had finally reached. She had been thinking about it all afternoon, and had finally chosen to try to find a counter to Blooms love spell. She first stopped by her dorm and looked on Blooms desk, finding to her displeasure that _'Powerful Jinxes, Hexes, Spells, and Curses' _was not there.

_**Where could Bloom have put that dusty old book? Think Flora, think!**_

Flora looked all over their room, but the book was nowhere to be found.

_I guess I'll just have to look up a counter curse in the library _Flora eventually concluded.

After a few hours of searching through library books, Flora thought that a certain reversal spell she had found would do the trick. She'd wanted to look in the restricted section of the library, hoping to find a more powerful counter. However, when Flora had asked permission from the librarian, the woman just gave her a skeptical, suspicious glare and had snippily told her no. Apparently the restricted section was going to be closed for a while, due to some mysterious rule set up by Ms. Faragonda.

Flora was about to leave and put her counter curse to work, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked back towards the restricted section, almost positive she had seen something moving amongst the shelves of mystical volumes. Thankfully, the restricted section was at the back of the library, and the librarian wouldn't have a good view of Flora lingering outside it, trying to get a peek inside.

She waited a few shelves back, that way whoever was sneaking around in there wouldn't see Flora when they came out. After about five minutes, Flora saw someone exiting the restricted zone. To her surprise, she found that she recognized the girl; it was the same fairy that had been with Helia at Red Fountain earlier that day. Flora's mouth dropped open.

_**What is **_she_** doing sneaking around in the restricted section? **_Flora wondered quietly.

The girl was carrying a book; it looked very important because it was bound in expensive green leather with curly gold font on the cover.

_She's not going to be able to check the book out _Flora stated in her mind.

_**Right! If the book's from the restricted section, then the librarian will recognize it at once. She's not going to leave the library without getting into a load of trouble. **_

However, the fairy didn't head to the front desk to check it out like Flora had suspected. Instead, she went to a zone of the library that few people ever wandered (this was the section on library that contained history books and autobiographies, a place where few fairies ever went near) and placed the book among the plain novels that roamed the bookcases. She then innocently pulled out a simple book, and went to check it out at the front desk.

"Last name?" The librarian questioned monotonously.

"Barne" said the girl.

"And your first name?" continued the snippy librarian as she looked up something on the computer.

"Madison" she stated.

_So her name is Madison _thought Flora. _What was she doing putting a book from the restricted zone in the autobiography and history section? _Pondered Flora.

_**It looked like she was hiding it. That way if she needs to find it later, she doesn't have to risk sneaking back into the restricted zone. Plus it's in a part of the library that no one ever goes near, not even Tecna. **_

She watched from behind her bookshelf as Madison checked out her book and left the library.

_**Something's not quite right about her **_

Flora then went to the shelf where Madison had hid the green leather-bound book, and pulled it from its nest. The title, written in shiny gold runes, read _'Alfea: a History of Triumphs, Spells, and Secrets'_.

_What could she want with this? It's just a history book. _Flora's mind was in overdrive, trying to figure out what significance this book could have for a fairy like Madison.

_**But it was in the restricted zone; whatever's in that book is something that the teachers only allow certain fairies to read about. If Madison was sneaking around in there and specifically pulled out this book, then she's up to something; and this book is apart of it. **_


	13. A Love Spell At Work

The day after the incident at Alfea's library, Bloom had gathered the Winx girls and declared her romance status with Riven.

"Riven and I are going out!" she squealed as a grin broke across her face.

Layla, Tecna, and Stella looked anxious about this at first (Flora was worried for her own reasons-aka: the love spell on Riven). However, once Bloom confirmed checking with Musa about this relationship, the girls (minus Flora) celebrated with her. They screamed, and jumped up and down while encircling Bloom in a group hug.

While this shenanigan was occurring, Flora excused herself, having made prior arrangements to meet with Riven at Red Fountain. She was finally going to put Bloom's love spell to an end.

How Bloom could live with herself for manipulating Riven, Flora had no idea. All she cared about at the moment was making sure her friend was himself.

Flora hurried over towards the school for heroics and bravery, and found Riven waiting for her at the base of the tower.

"Hi" said Flora as she approached him.

"Hey!" he replied, unusually cheery for his typical tough-guy attitude "Did you hear about me and Bloom?" he asked, now smiling.

"Yeah, I heard" Flora muttered. Riven was about to say something, but Flora continued.

"Do you think we could go up?" she asked, motioning to Red Fountain. "It's a little chilly out today." It was very cold out; so much so that Flora had been forced to bring her plants inside from the cold earlier that morning. Her plants hadn't liked that at all, and complained to Flora as she moved their pots from the balcony into her half of the room.

"Sure thing" he replied. Again Riven typed in a lengthy computer code, after which they stepped into the elevator and headed upwards. Once in the hallway, they walked to Rivens room and continued their conversation from there.

"It's so great being with Bloom. She's so……I don't know, I can't describe it." He sighed dreamily.

_How strong a spell did Bloom use!? _She wondered in awe.

Flora took a big breathe, preparing for the spell; she wondered what would happen once Bloom realized her love spell had stopped working. Would she know? Flora put all these questions to the back of her mind, for they would make her not want to cast the counter curse. She took another big sigh, focused her Winx, and started chanting.

After Flora was finished, she didn't look up for a few seconds after performing the spell. When she managed to glance upwards, she found Riven glaring down at her.

"What's your problem?" he demanded rudely, which was odd considering _he _was supposed to be the one with a problem.

"Were you casting a spell on me?!" he yelled at her.

"What? No, I was just undoing the love spell that Bloom put on you and-"

Riven interrupted her "Bloom didn't put a love spell on me; are you crazy?"

"Yes she did!" Flora persisted, but again Riven cut her off.

"I see what's going on here; you're jealous! You can't believe that I'm in love with Bloom and not you!"

"What?!" Flora screeched "That's not it at all! She really did-"

"No she didn't! Can't you accept the fact that I like her? I love her; she's the only one meant for me."

"No she's not, Riven! That's the love spell talking. If you're really in love with her, then what is it about her that's so appealing to you, hmm? Is it how she looks, how she acts, how she-"

"I don't know what it is! I just…..I just want to be with her. I am in love with her, and if you can't accept that, then I don't think we should be friends anymore." Riven solemnly looked at her as he said that last part.

"You really don't believe me, do you." This was a statement, not a question; but tears were already forming in anticipation of his reply. He didn't say anything, which was answer enough. Flora knew this wasn't the real Riven. The love spell Bloom had cast must have been much, much stronger than Flora had thought. Why else would Flora's counter not have worked? However, even though Flora knew that this wasn't really her friend speaking, it still hurt her all the same. She dashed from his room, not even paying attention to where she was going.

When Flora found herself lost in Red Fountain, it only brought on a fresh wave of emotion. She choked it back, but didn't know how long she could hold it in. Since Flora didn't know the way out, she decided to try to find the library. She could navigate her way to the exit from there, and could also empty her tears in a quiet, isolated corner.

After asking around, Flora eventually found the book haven. She found an isolated place to sit and cried herself out, careful to be as quiet as she could while experiencing her breakdown. It didn't take as long as she thought to calm herself. As she sat there with her red puffy eyes, she heard voices from the next row over.

Flora was about to leave; after the whole Riven debacle, Flora didn't want to meddle in anybody's business anymore. However, it was hard not to listen. Once she heard the sentence "…but you're Saladin's nephew!" in a whiny voice, she stopped dead in her tracks.

_**Madison and Helia? Again? **_

"So you really don't know what the orbs of Neftalion are?" Madison whined again.

"No. I have never heard of them before in my life." Replied Helia.

_Orbs of Neftalion? _Flora thought befuddled.

"…And you have absolutely no idea where Red Fountain's single orb of Neftalian is? No idea at all?" she persisted.

"No." Helia stated, confusion draping his voice.

Flora heard Madison sigh, and say something else unintelligible. All she saw after that was them walking away, their hands intertwined.

_**She is definitely up to something**_ thought Flora darkly.

Her watch then beeped, and she realized she'd already missed 2 classes.

_What?! _Flora's conscious screamed. _I totally forgot it was a school day! Let's see…it's...Tuesday!_ _Oh my gosh, I have to get to Potions!_

From the library, Flora navigated her way to the elevator, and flew back to Alfea for her morning classes.


	14. Guardian

**First of all, I am so sorry that I've kind of just let my story die. I apologize for starting and failing to finish this story. I'm updating now because I've FINALLY found some free time with which to write. I can't promise speedy updates, but I will try to do better with updating the story. I just reread the whole thing, and it inspired me to finish it. So here you go; another chapter to this yet-to-be-finished story. Thanks for reading---eerocks12**

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" Flora!" barked the Alchemy professor, "head down to Miss Faragonda's office immediately." Her teacher read this information from a pale yellow slip of paper, motioning to Flora that she should take her leave. Flora was disappointed; she was in the middle of a complicated experiment involving the tooth of a vampire and blue bonnet petals.

_Why does Ms. F want to see me? _ Flora wondered.

**I hope she doesn't know that I snuck into Red Fountain.**

Flora let her mind wander as she strolled to meet her headmistress. She hadn't spoken to Riven in two weeks. He was still upset with her for accusing his "beloved" of casting a love spell on him. She hadn't spoken to Bloom for nearly the same amount of time, but that was because Bloom was always with Riven, not out of anger.

Flora sighed. While her friendship with Riven had been short, it had been fulfilling, and she found herself missing her friend.

**Why did Bloom have to go and screw everything up?**

_Don't think that way! She's your friend and she didn't do it out of spite. She truly has feelings for Riven. _

**Too bad his feelings for her are **_**artificial.**_

Flora reached the regal, purple doors that led into Ms. Faragonda's office, and tried not to think of her mixed feelings towards Bloom.

"Ms. Faragonda, you wanted to see me?" Questioned Flora, waving the yellow slip as proof.

"Yes Flora, come here dear." Replied Faragonda. Flora stepped up to the imposing, dark mahogany desk and looked into Ms. Faragonda's eyes.

"I need to ask a favor of you" she began. "But I need your word that, if you accept, you _will _follow through; no backing out." Flora was startled, but eager to help. She needed something to distract her from all the Riven drama, and this provided just the antidote.

"I'd love to help." Replied Flora. The Headmistress's face relaxed and turned grave all at once. "Well, follow me then" she commanded tersely. Ms. Faragonda led them out of the office and through the winding corridors until they reached the library. She nodded to the librarian, and continued into the depths of the library.

"Do you know of the orbs of Neftalian?" Asked Ms. Faragonda.

_The Orbs of Neftalian! That's what Madison was asking Helia about that day at Red Fountain!_ Screamed Flora's inner self. 

**Play dumb, Flora, play dumb! You'll look suspicious if you know what they are. They're obviously supposed to be a secret. **

"No" she lied. "Well" continued the principle "There are three in all; one is in Cloudtower, one is in Red Fountain…and one is here." They had reached the entrance to the restricted section.

"Flora, very few are supposed to know about the Orbs of Neftalian, and for good reason. One orb takes away the ability to move, one takes away the ability to think independently and speak, and one takes away the ability to see and hear. When all three are together, they take away persons free will, and _that_ is a most dangerous force to be reckoned with."

Flora still couldn't see where she was going with this, but let her lead her farther into the depths of the restricted section.

They stopped among the rows of books. Mrs. Faragonda turned to her and said "The Orb from Red Fountain was stolen last week. There are no traces of the thief anywhere near it's hiding place, and Saladin suspects that they will strike here next. He's already warned Ms. Griffin at Cloudtower to keep an extra close eye on their orb, and me as well. That's where you come in. I need someone to be the guardian of Alfea's orb, and I feel that out all my students, you're the most capable."

Flora stood there stunned. This was typically Bloom's job: protect the sacred artifact, fight the bad guys, and win the hero's heart. Since when had Flora become Ms. Faragonda's fairy of choice? All Flora managed to blurt out was "Shouldn't you be asking Bloom to do all this hero work? She's so much stronger, and braver, and prettier…." Flora trailed off.

"Normally I would ask Bloom" stated Ms. Faragonda bluntly. "But something is telling me to trust in you, Flora. I believe you're the best person for the task. Now, if you please.." Ms. Faragonda ended her speech by lugging a heavy-looking book from one of the upper shelves.

"This" she said while opening the book "is where our own orb is hidden". Inside the book was a carved out space where something secret could be hidden. And the book contained just that-something secret. The orb was pearly white and opalescent, and a faint glow reverberated around the sphere.

"Where best to hide something than in the plainest, most obvious place? Everyone expects our secrets to lie behind a massive vault door that takes 8 keys, 3 spells, and one correctly answered riddle to enter. No will ever think to check the simple hiding places. Brilliant, no?"

"Ms. Faragonda" Flora began "I won't be any match for that thief if he comes here to steal the orb. Bloom's the strongest, Laila's the bravest, Tecna's the smartest; why don't' you get one of them to be the guardian?"

"I've already had this discussion with you Flora; my instincts are telling me to put you in charge, and I plan on listening to them. Believe in yourself and what you can do; you'll be surprised that you're truly better than you think you are." Ms. Faragonda closed the book and put it back on the shelf. They left the library and continued their conversation in the hallway.

"There's only one thing you need to remember, Flora. Don't tell _anyone_ you're guarding the orb. The orbs are secret, and they need to remain secret. If you tell your friends or loved ones, you could put their lives at risk, not to mention your own. I'll need you to check periodically on it to make sure it's safe, and I already told Ms. Clidel to allow you access into the restricted section."

"Okay" she answered, not sure that she could even keep her promise to protect the orb.

"Good luck, Flora. I hope to see you soon; go back to Alchemy, and good day." With that, Ms. Faragonda left her standing there.

_Oh God, what am I going to do?_ Wailed Flora's mind as she walked to back to Alchemy class. As she left, Madison stepped out from behind the corner, having heard everything that had just passed.


End file.
